Teresa Hagan Thomas is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. Her mission is to promote self-advocacy among individuals affected by cancer and to improve the delivery of care to all people affected by cancer, especially advanced cancer. She leads clinical trials evaluating novel technologies to teach self-advocacy skills to patients with advanced cancer. Her novel approach to capturing how patients stand up for themselves has been taken up internationally, with her conceptual framework and measurement tools being widely adapted across populations, cultures, and languages. Her research has also had clinical impact in the areas of palliative care, family caregiving within cancer communities, and patient self-management. Dr. Thomas received her BA in anthropology and international peace studies at the University of Notre Dame before earning her accelerated BSN and PhD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. She earned a certificate in Consumer Health Advocacy from the University of Wisconsin – Madison’s Center for Patient Partnerships. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in supportive oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.